Botswana summons US envoy over Trump 'shithole' slur

Botswana's government on Friday summoned the US ambassador to complain about remarks reportedly made by President Donald Trump describing African nations as "shithole countries".

The alleged comments, first reported by The Washington Post, were apparently made during a meeting at the White House about immigration reform on Thursday. They quickly sparked anger among Democrats and Republicans and revived questions about Trump's tendency to make racially charged remarks.

"The Government of Botswana, today summoned the US Ambassador to Botswana to express its displeasure at the alleged utterances made by the President of the US," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The statement added that Gaborone had sought clarification from the US ambassador on whether "Botswana is regarded as a 'shithole' country given that there are Botswana nationals residing in the US".

"We view the utterances by the current American President as highly irresponsible, reprehensible and racist," it added.